Paul Finebaum, the ESPN radio and SEC commentator, has apologized for saying, in a discussion of Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest, that “this country does not oppress black people.”
“I could spend the rest of my life trying to talk my way out of it, but I can’t,” Finebaum said Thursday on “SportsCenter.” “I blew it. I simply did not have a good grasp of the situation. I know better. I’ve lived in this country, I see what is going on all across the country from North to South to East to West and I have no excuse.
“I can’t explain why I articulated the words the way they did, but I did and there is a public record of it and there’s a natural reaction and I respect that. All I can say is that I made a terrible mistake in trying to express a feeling that I probably — not probably — I had no right to express. I don’t know whether this will mean anything to anyone, but I feel compelled to answer your question that way — that it was a terrible mistake on my part and my eyes are wider-open today than they have ever been as a result.”
Accoridng to The Washington Post, Finebaum made the original comment Monday on his radio show and reiterated it in a discussion, among others, with Joey Galloway and David Pollock on “College Football Live.” He said he had spoken to both Galloway and Marcus Spears, which whom he had discussed the Kaepernick protest on his radio show.
For the 30th consecutive season, Westwood One is the exclusive network radio partner for the National Football League and will provide play-by-play coverage of the NFL’s national regular season package of primetime games and all postseason games, including Super Bowl LI.
In addition to those 70 contests, Westwood One will also broadcast 17 Sunday Afternoon Doubleheaders, resulting in a record-high 104 total NFL game broadcasts this season. Westwood One’s NFL broadcasts can be heard on nearly 500 radio terrestrial stations nationwide, as well as on SiriusXM radio, TuneIn, and through NFL Game Pass, which is available on NFL.com and the NFL Mobile from Verizon app. The NFL on Westwood One reaches more than 30 million people.
The 2016-2017 NFL regular season kicks off when the Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos host the Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night, September 8, 2016 in a rematch of Super Bowl 50.
This season’s primetime package consists of the following 70 nationally featured games:
Opening Night game
17 Monday Night games (including week one doubleheader)
17 Sunday Night games (including Christmas night)
15 Thursday Night games (including Thanksgiving night)
3 Sunday Morning International Series games in London
2 Saturday Night games
Thanksgiving Day doubleheader
Christmas Day game
12 Postseason games, including the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl LI
In addition to the three London games, Westwood One will also broadcast the fourth game in the NFL’s International Series this season, when the Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans play at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on Monday Night, November 21.
Kevin Harlan and former quarterback and NFL MVP Boomer Esiason return to the booth as the lead broadcast crew for Monday Night Football. This marks Harlan’s seventh full season behind the microphone and Esiason’s 17th season as the lead analyst on Monday nights. Two-time NFL MVP Kurt Warner will split the schedule of Monday Night games with Esiason during the season. Jim Gray will anchor the pregame and halftime portions of Monday Night Football and the Super Bowl for the 16th straight season. Scott Graham returns for the as the pregame/halftime/postgame host of all the remaining games in the primetime package, his eighth consecutive year in that role.
Kevin Kugler will once again be the voice of Sunday Night Football, his fourth straight year in that role for the network. Hall of Famer James Lofton remains as the color analyst, his eighth season in the booth. For the ninth consecutive season, Ian Eagle will call all the action on Thursday Night Football. Tony Boselli will serve as the primary analyst for this package of games. Super Bowl XXXI-winning Coach Mike Holmgren will contribute each week to the Thursday Night Football broadcasts.
Tom McCarthy and John Sadak will be the primary play-by-play announcers for the Sunday doubleheader broadcasts. Super Bowl XXXI-winning Coach Mike Holmgren, six-time Pro Bowler Jason Taylor, NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, and former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker, among others, will serve as the analysts. Scott Graham returns as the pregame/halftime/postgame host of the Sunday afternoon NFL package.
In addition to live game coverage, Westwood One Sports also offers the features NFL Insider, NFL Today, NFL Preview, and Fantasy Football Forecast.
ESPN Radio will kick off its 2016-17 regular season college football schedule with a doubleheader featuring four ranked teams* on Saturday, Sept. 3, beginning with No. 18 Georgia vs. No. 22 North Carolina in Atlanta at 4:30 p.m. ET, followed by the defending national champions and No. 1-ranked Alabama vs. No. 20 USC in Arlington, Texas, at 7:30 p.m.
The 24-game schedule includes seven select Thursday and Friday nights, and will culminate with the Pac-12 and ACC Championships on December 2 and 3, respectively. Play-by-play commentator Bill Rosinski, analyst David Norrie and reporter Ian Fitzsimmons will team as the primary ESPN Radio commentating team this season.
The full slate of games includes 18 teams in the AP’s pre-season poll and will showcase each of the teams in the Top 10. Defending National Champion Alabama will play twice in the schedule, with multiple games for No. 4 Florida State, No. 5 LSU, No. 11 Ole Miss, No. 14 Washington, No. 18 Georgia, No. 20 USC, No. 22 North Carolina and No. 25 Florida. Marquee matchups will include:
Monday, Sept. 5 – No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 11 Ole Miss;
Saturday, Oct. 22 – No. 11 Ole Miss at No. 5 LSU;
Saturday, Nov. 5 – No. 1 Alabama at No. 5 LSU;
All regular-season and championship games will be available on ESPN Radio stations and via the ESPN App, ESPNRadio.com, SiriusXM, Apple Music, Slacker Radio and TuneIn.
ESPN Radio’s College GameDay and Fall Football Tour
ESPN Radio’s College GameDay -- hosted by Doug Kezirian, Brad Edwards and Trevor Matich, with Maria Taylor, Joey Galloway, Andrea Adelson and Heather Dinich as weekly contributors – returns this season with eight on-site broadcasts, with the first airing live from Arlington, Texas, in advance of the Alabama-USC game. ESPN Radio’s College GameDay airs Saturdays, noon – 7 p.m.
In addition, ESPN Radio’s Fall Football Tour will feature three dates with Russillo & Kanell broadcasting live and kicking off from Madison, Wis., on Friday, Oct. 14, in advance of the Ohio State @ Wisconsin game. The show will also feature a return to Tallahassee, Fla., for former Florida State quarterback Kanell on Friday, Oct. 28, for Clemson at Florida State. Russillo & Kanell will also pay a special visit to Baton Rouge, La., on Friday, Nov. 4, in advance of Alabama at LSU. Russillo & Kanell is hosted by Ryen Russillo and Danny Kanell, and airs weekdays from 1 – 4 p.m.
FOX Sports Radio (FSR) announced Thursdayday the addition of multimedia sports personality Clay Travis to its weekday morning lineup. Beginning September 6, Outkick The Coverage with Clay Travis will broadcast weekdays from 6 to 9 a.m. ET on 220 stations nationwide, in addition to FOX Sports Radio’s channel on iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s industry-leading digital radio platform.
Clay Travis
Originating from Nashville, Tenn., the program will feature Travis’ informed, outspoken, fearless and often funny commentary on the latest sports headlines, as well as pop culture commentary, interviews and listener interaction. The FS1 college football analyst and founder of the wildly popular OutKickTheCoverage.com will continue to host his top-ranking Outkick The Show webcast, which is streamed live on Facebook, Periscope, YouTube, FOX Sports GO and FOXSports.com.
More than two million unique video viewers watched/listened to Outkick the Show in June 2016, making it the most-watched daily sports show streamed live on Periscope and Facebook in the country. In addition, OutKickTheCoverage.com had another record year in 2015. The four-year-old site had nearly 12 million unique visitors last year alone, who spent nearly 21 million minutes reading Outkick articles.
“Even though my wife disagrees, I’ve always thought there is no better sound to wake up to in the morning than my voice. Now everyone can hear it!” shared Travis. “While I’m very excited to take the next step in the direction of Outkick dominating all forms of media, I’d like to apologize in advance for hating your favorite team and thinking they’re overrated – unless you’re an Ohio State fan, in which case, I really do hate your team and they are overrated.”
“FOX Sports Radio’s Don Martin, Scott Shapiro and I couldn’t be more excited to add Clay Travis to this already strong lineup,” stated Julie Talbott, Premiere Networks President. “Clay is bold, opinionated and entertaining, and we’re confident Outkick the Coverage will be home to some of the most thought provoking sports-talk programming each morning, while driving immediate reaction from his large and engaged national audience.”
Colin Kaepernick and his girlfriend, WQHT 97.1 FM Hot 97 radio personality Nessa have donated $60,000 worth of backpacks to students in Harlem and the South Bronx, according to TheRoot.
“Having a new backpack to start off the new school year helps give each student a fresh start,” says Nessa. “When we looked at everything when it comes to supplies, we found backpacks were an investment for most parents. As for the student, we wanted to ensure we found one that could last for more than a year and that was sturdy, durable and versatile for students to use for books, sports equipments or art materials, and traveling.”
Students at Harlem RBI’s DREAM Charter School Middle School and Patterson Family Day in South Bronx were the lucky recipients of the Nike backpacks.
While at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, Nessa of MTV's Girl Code and Hot 97 talked to Baller Alert about her boyfriend Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers and his decision to sit during the National Anthem.
In 1896...singer/musician/actress Amanda Randolph was born in Louisville Ky.
She is best remembered as Kingfish’s mother-in-law in Amos & Andy, both radio & TV. In the late 1930’s she had been featured on the radio soaps Young Dr. Malone, Romance of Helen Trent and Big Sister. She was one of several actresses to play Beulah on TV, and was a cast member on The Danny Thomas Show.
She suffered a fatal stroke August 24, 1967, a week short of her 71st birthday.
In 1931...the radio show, "15 Minutes with Bing Crosby", debuted on CBS.
Big Crosby
In 1923, Crosby had been invited to join a new band composed of high school students a few years younger than himself. Al Rinker, Miles Rinker, James Heaton, Claire Pritchard and Robert Pritchard, along with drummer Crosby, formed the Musicaladers, who performed at dances both for high school students and club-goers. The group did perform on Spokane radio station KHQ, but disbanded after two years.
By 1925, Crosby had formed a vocal duo with partner Al Rinker, brother of singer Mildred Bailey. Bailey introduced Rinker and Crosby to Paul Whiteman, who was at that time America's most famous bandleader. Hired for $150 a week in 1926, they made their debut on December 6 at the Tivoli Theatre in Chicago. Their first recording was "I've Got The Girl", with Don Clark's Orchestra, but the Columbia-issued record did them no vocal favors, as it was inadvertently recorded at a speed slower than it should have been, which increased the singers' pitch when played at 78 rpm. Throughout his career, Crosby often credited Mildred Bailey for getting him his first important job in the entertainment business.
Even as the Crosby and Rinker duo was increasing in popularity, Whiteman added a third member to the group. The threesome, now including pianist and aspiring songwriter Harry Barris, were dubbed "The Rhythm Boys". They joined the Whiteman touring act, performing and recording with musicians Bix Beiderbecke, Jack Teagarden, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Eddie Lang and Hoagy Carmichael, also appearing together in a Whiteman movie.
Crosby soon became the star attraction of the Rhythm Boys, and in 1928 he had his first number one hit with the Whiteman orchestra, a jazz-influenced rendition of "Ol' Man River". However, Crosby's reported taste for alcohol and his growing dissatisfaction with Whiteman led to his quitting the Rhythm Boys to join the Gus Arnheim Orchestra. During his time with Arnheim, the other two Rhythm Boys were increasingly pushed to the background as the emphasis was on Crosby. Harry Barris wrote several of Crosby's subsequent hits including "At Your Command", "I Surrender Dear", and "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams". But the members of the band had a falling out and split, setting the stage for Crosby's solo career.
From 1942...
On September 2, 1931, Crosby made his solo radio debut. Before the end of the year, he signed with both Brunswick Records and CBS Radio. Doing a weekly 15-minute radio broadcast, Crosby quickly became a huge hit. His songs "Out of Nowhere", "Just One More Chance", "At Your Command" and "I Found a Million Dollar Baby (in a Five and Ten Cent Store)" were all among the best selling songs of 1931.
In 1945…Aboard the USS Missouri, Japan formally surrendered to the United States, ending World War II, six years and one day after it began.
In 1963..."The CBS Evening News," anchored by Walter Cronkite, became network television's first half-hour weeknight news broadcast, lengthened from its original 15 minutes.
In 1968...Music Directors at radio stations across the country received a new 45 from a new group called Creedence Clearwater Revival. They didn't know much about them other than their first single was called "Suzie Q". They played it, and the rest is history.
In 1973...Some of The Top Albums of 1973* were out on this date. Chicago VI remained at #1, Pink Floyd moved back up to #2 with The Dark Side of the Moon, Foreigner from Cat Stevens was fourth while the Allman Brothers Band moved from 13 to 4 with the biggest album they would ever have--Brothers and Sisters. The rest of the Top 10: Touch Me in the Morning from Diana Ross, A Passion Play from Jethro Tull dropped from 2, Machine Head by Deep Purple had been out a year and was moving up to #7, We're An American Band from Grand Funk moved from 15 to 8, Made in Japan by Deep Purple was #9 and Fresh by Sly & the Family Stone completed the list.
In 1974...Reunion released "Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)" on this date. Many custom versions were made for Top40 stations across the country. WCFL 1000 AM in Chicago had one. Here is the version for crosstown rival WLS 890 AM...
iHeartMedia announced today that Gator Harrison has been named Senior Vice President of Programming for the Nashville market, effective immediately.
Gator succeeds Michael Bryan in this role.
iHeartMedia Nashville has a strong cross-platform presence, massive consumer reach and includes a number of iconic brands and franchises — both broadcast and digital — encompassing radio station brands Country WSIX 97.9 FM The Big 98, HipHop/R&F WUBT 101.1 FM The Beat, Rock WNRQ 105.9 FM, Smooth Jazz WNRQ-HD2, Top40 WRVW 107.5 FM and N/T WLAC 1510 AM.
Gator will work closely with program directors, on-air personalities and sales to oversee on-air, digital and music programming for the radio station brands and their local events. Gator will continue to serve as Brand Coordinator for the Nashville-based iHeartCountry team, which has more than 145 Country broadcast radio stations across the U.S.
He will report to Rod Phillips, Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia’s Nashville Region and Brand Manager for iHeartCountry.
Michael Bryan Exits
“We’re thrilled to have Gator join us and oversee programming in Nashville,” said Dan Endom, Region President for iHeartMedia Nashville. “Gator built his network and experience in the industry from the ground up and his proven track record makes him perfectly suited to lead our Nashville station brands’ programming.”
Gator previously worked as the Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Chattanooga where he oversaw all aspects of on-air and online programming for the market’s five radio station brands. Gator has received 26 awards recognizing his excellence in broadcasting from national organizations including: Academy of Country Music Awards, Country Music Association Awards, CRB-Country Aircheck Awards and more.
“The Tennessee community has been great to me throughout my career, and I can’t wait to make them proud in Nashville,” said Gator. “iHeartMedia Nashville is home to six leading radio station brands that I can’t wait to work with and help them continue to connect with listeners every day.”
Bryan had been OM since February of 2012, arriving from iHM Orlando, where he spent five years as PD of Top40 WXXL XL106.7 FM and Digital PD for the cluster.
CBS is starting up a commercial-free option for its CBS All Access digital video platform.
According to MediaPost, the consumer price tag will be $9.99 per month. CBS will also continue its existing service of $5.99 a month, which airs TV commercials.
Marc DeBevoise, president/chief operating officer of CBS Interactive, stated: “The addition of a commercial-free plan gives our subscribers even more ways to customize their CBS viewing experience.”
CBS All Access, and its sister Showtime streaming service, each have around 1 million subscribers. CBS All Access launched in October 2014; Showtime’s over the top digital streaming service started up in July 2015
CBS All Access offers live-streaming of local CBS Television stations, available in more than 150 markets. CBS All Access will continue to run the same commercials as CBS over-the-air broadcast, as well as select on-demand shows, which include TV program promos.
Nielsen Wednesday offered clients in Los Angeles a further update on the PPM "irregularities' first disclosed during the August Survey month.
Nielsen yanked 35 households from the Los Angeles PPM panel and a company spokesperson says an internal investigation found that “an isolated personnel issue caused several households to be improperly brought online between January and July 2016.”
Nielsen also says no media outlets were involved.
Here is the Nielsen statement:
"As communicated on August 22, out of an abundance of caution 35 homes were removed from the Los Angeles August PPM surveybecause quality protocols were not followed.
"We have completed an impact analysis for all months in 2016. The analysis compares estimates without the affected homes to the originally published estimates. These homes had extremely light radio exposure overall and there was zero impact on total radio listening. In addition, there was no material impact on station-level ratings during the months of January through July. Therefore, the Los Angeles data we have previously published will not be reissued. Impact data is available to clients upon request.
"When this issue was identified in early August, we launched a comprehensive investigation to determine root cause, what actions, if any, may be required for prior months in 2016 and whether this issue affected other PPM markets.
"The investigation determined that an isolated personnel issue caused several households to be improperly brought online between January and July 2016. Additionally, the investigation confirmed that this issue was isolated to Los Angeles and that no media outlets were involved.
"Nielsen is constantly innovating new compliance checks to ensure the quality of its PPM panel. In this specific case, Nielsen moved quickly to identify the root cause and immediately took corrective action."
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump vowed on Wednesday that anyone who is in the United States illegally would be subject to deportation if he is elected, sticking with his hardline position after flirting with a softer approach.
In a major speech in the border state of Arizona, Trump took a dim view of the 11 million people who crossed into the United States illegally, a week after saying many were "great people" who had lived in the country for years and contributed to American society.
He said all people in the United States illegally would have "only one route" to gain legal status if Trump were to win the Nov. 8 presidential election: "To return home and apply for re-entry."
"Our message to the world will be this: You cannot obtain legal status or become a citizen of the United States by illegally entering our country," Trump said.
"People will know you can't just smuggle in, hunker down and wait to be legalized," he said. "Those days are over."
Trump again vowed that Mexico would pay for construction of a "great border wall" between the two countries. He spoke hours after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto told Trump in a face-to-face meeting in Mexico City that Mexico would not pay for it.
"We will build a great wall along the southern border," Trump said. "And Mexico will pay for the wall - 100 percent. They don't know it yet, but they're going to pay for the wall."
Trump said at a joint news conference with Pena Nieto that he and the Mexican leader did not discuss who would pay for the wall. Pena Nieto remained silent on the issue at the event, but said later on Twitter he did raise the issue.
"At the beginning of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall," Pena Nieto said in a tweet.
Trump used the Phoenix speech to clarify his stance on illegal immigration after prevaricating on the issue last week. He returned to the hardline rhetoric that powered him to the Republican presidential nomination over 16 rivals, heartening those conservatives drawn to Trump by the issue.
Ann Coulter, a conservative activist who had fretted that Trump might be softening, tweeted: "I hear Churchill had a nice turn of phrase, but Trump's immigration speech is the most magnificent speech ever given."
Correct The Record, an organization supporting Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the Nov.8 presidential election, slammed Trump.
"Tonight confirmed what we knew all along - there is no ‘softening’,” Correct The Record spokeswoman Elizabeth Shappell said.
Facing multiple allegations of sexually harassing female employees along with lawsuits from two of his accusers, to say nothing of advising Donald Trump on presidential debate prep, ousted Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes apparently still has time to plot the downfall of perceived foes.
According to The Daily Beast, No. 1 on the 76-year-old Ailes’s enemies list appears to be New York Magazine national affairs editor Gabriel Sherman, who has spearheaded the reporting on the former cable news executive’s recent scandal that led to his abrupt resignation last month.
In what seemed timed as a preemptive strike, two of Ailes’s attorneys—Susan Estrich, a law professor and a partner in the blue-chip Los Angeles law firm Quinn, Emanuel, and Mark Mukasey, a top litigator in the well-connected New York firm Greenberg, Traurig—contacted The Daily Beast in the past day to attack the journalist in slashing, nasty, and deeply personal terms.
“Gabe Sherman is a virus, and is too small to exist on his own, and has obviously attached himself to the Ailes family to try to suck the life out of them,” Mukasey, the son of former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, said in an interview Tuesday after sending an email to The Daily Beast inviting a reporter to call for his comments.
“This is Gabe Sherman’s last stand, and it falls flat,” Estrich said in an emailed statement, referring to Sherman’s reporting on last week’s complaint against Ailes and four other Fox News executives by suspended Fox News personality Andrea Tantaros.
In his only response to the new attacks, Sherman told The Daily Beast: “I don’t take it personally. I’m going to keep my head down and continue to report.”
WXYT 97.1 FM The Ticket announced today that Jamie Samuelsen will move to mornings on The Ticket.
He will join Mike Stone and Sara Fouracre to form “The Jamie and Stoney Show” beginning Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016. The show will be heard 6:00 – 10:00AM both on air and online at cbsdetroit.com and 971theticket.com, and through the Radio.com mobile app.
Samuelsen formerly co-hosted the evening weekday show on 97.1 The Ticket with Bob Wojnowski. “Wojo” will remain in the evening weekday time slot, airing from 6:00 – 8:00PM.
Debbie Kenyon, Senior Vice President/Market Manager, CBS RADIO Detroit said, “I am thrilled Jamie Samuelsen is joining the morning show on The Ticket. Jamie and Mike Stone are old friends who worked together prior to joining The Ticket team. Jamie will bring a new and fresh sound to mornings, and I look forward to watching the evolution of the show as Jamie, Mike and Sara work together and take the show to new heights.”
Program Director Jimmy Powers added, “Jamie and Stoney will make a great morning team. They both have an enormous amount of sports knowledge and opinions, and will give a unique perspective of what is happening with your favorite teams.”
WXYT 97.1 FM (15 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area
Samuelsen’s radio career in Detroit dates back to 1994. He has been a part of The Ticket since 2012.
Cumulus Media announces that it has appointed Shawn Quinn as On-Air Host, Mornings, on Alternative KCJK X105.1 FM in Kansas City. Quinn’s new morning show debuts on X105.1 on Tuesday, September 6, 2016, from 6AM-10AM.
Quinn joins X105.1 from a successful run as Director of Programming and Morning Host at GenX.FM in Hagerstown, MD. In June 2015, he was recognized as one of “Radio’s Most Innovative” by research and consulting expert Fred Jacobs, who showcased Quinn’s digital content innovations. Prior to GenX.FM, Quinn was a Brand Manager, Program Director and Morning Show Host for Saga Communications in Asheville, NC, where he also managed digital strategies. Quinn is a regular video and audio contributor on TMZ Live, providing extensive celebrity interviews, comedy writing, and original digital content.
Donna Baker, Midwest Regional Vice President and Market Manager, Cumulus Media-Kansas City, said: “Shawn’s tremendous knowledge of the alternative format combined with his ability to entertain and connect with our passionate fans of X105.1 are an exciting step for Kansas City’s Alternative.”
Lance Tidwell, Operations Manager, Cumulus Media-Kansas City, and Program Director, X105.1/KCJK said: “Shawn is a true talent who really understands how digital, social and on-air all need to build on each other to create great content and connect with listeners. I am excited to have Shawn join the incomparable X105.1 team as we build on an already exciting start in Kansas City.”
KCJK 105.1 FM (72 Kw) Red=Local Coverage
Quinn said: “I am overwhelmed and honored to be the one to wake up Kansas City on X105.1. From Troy Hanson and Lance Tidwell in programming to Donna Baker and the rest of the team, it’s a privilege to work with a group of like-minded professionals that I truly consider friends. I can’t wait to attack the air and some great BBQ in Kansas City!”
A new sports talk radio call-in morning show — "Braden and Fitz" — is scheduled to start Tuesday on Sports WPRT102.5 FM.
The show will feature hosts Braden Gall and Jason Fitz from 6 a.m.-10 a.m., giving the station all local sports talk from 6 a.m-6 p.m. each weekday.
The Tennessean reports Gall is a Franklin High and University of Tennessee graduate who has spent time working at WNML in Knoxville, Rivals Radio, Athlon Sports and SiriusXM.
"I bounced around my entire childhood, so to call Nashville home for the last 20 years has meant a lot to me," Gall said in a statement. "To be offered the chance to combine my passion for this city with the insatiable love I have for college football, the NFL and the chase for Lord Stanley's Cup is a thrilling opportunity. To do it with Fitz, a friend who shares that exact same passion, is even more exciting."
Fitz is a Grammy-nominated fiddle player and musical director for The Band Perry. Along with his music career, Fitz currently serves as co-host of "College Football Daily" on ESPNU with Mike Golic Jr. on Monday nights.
"I'm excited to be home, in the city where I've lived for 20 years, as part of a show that is going to bring energy, passion, fun and personal connection to the Nashville Sports and entertainment market, and even more pumped to do it with Braden Gall, someone I've been lucky enough to call a friend for years." Fitz said in a statement. "It's humbling to be a part of any 'first' and to be the part of ESPN 102.5 The Game's first all local all day programming with our new morning show is something that means more than I can put into words. We're going to create great content, great radio and great friendships with our listeners and this community."
WPRT 102.5 FM (100 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area
The station's daily lineup now includes "Braden & Fitz (6 a.m.-10 a.m.), "3D with Darren McFarland, Derrick Mason and Willy Daunic" (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) and "Jared & The GM with Jared Stillman and former Titans general manager Floyd Reese.(2-6 p.m.).
Radio personality Skip Mahaffey has scuttled speculation that he would be returning to the Tampa area and to WQYK 99.5 FM, now owned by Beasley Broadcast.
In a Facebook posting Wednesday, Mahaffey stated we would not be returning.
Wednesday was Mahffey's final day as morning cohost at KPLX 99.5 FM The Wolf in D/FW. He has exited KPLX after 20-months in the market.
Skip Mahaffey
There was a time MaHaffey had been WQYK's morning host, but departed in 2004 for crosstown rival WFUS. That stay ended in 2009, when the then-Clear Channel station told him they were expecting more (ratings).
After a short stay at KVOO-FM in Tulsa, Mahaffey eventually found himself at KPLX in the Dallas-Ft. Worth market.
Now, WQYK continues its search for a new morning host following the unexpected death of Dave McKay last month. But, it appears Mahaffey won't be completing the circle.
